Coroner agrees with concerns of pilot's fiancee

Dr Wallace Bain

A coroner has agreed with some of the concerns raised by the fiancee of a young Rotorua pilot killed in a plane crash.

Rotorua coroner Dr Wallace Bain yesterday released the findings from the inquest into the death of Samuel Kershaw, 26.

Mr Kershaw was killed in December 2012 after the top-dressing plane he was flying crashed at Waikite Valley.

At the inquest, held in June this year, Mr Kershaw's fiancee April Mainland said she believed the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) investigation and final report into his death lacked facts and was based on assumptions.

She said while she had spoken to an accident inspector at the crash site a day after her partner died, she believed she should have been re-interviewed when she was in a better "head space".

Dr Bain said in his findings that it was "hugely beneficial to CAA" to hear of Ms Mainland's issue with its interaction with Mr Kershaw's family. The findings stated the authority had acknowledged the issues raised and "will bring that further into their future investigations".

Dr Bain also said the court shared Ms Mainland's concern that you can have an experienced pilot who knows his work but "lacks on the instructional side of training people".

"It does seem CAA has taken this factor aboard ... The court was told the E Category instructor rating has been completely revamped. This means adequate training for the pilots is going to be in place where it wasn't at the time of the accident.

"It is pleasing to see the positive response from the individual parties who, despite this tragedy, have clearly been working to try and avoid a further tragedy in similar circumstances," Dr Bain concluded.